Từ Nam Việt sang Việt Nam. Nhà Nguyễn xin đổi quốc hiệu như thế nào?

Abstract

When Lord Nguyễn Phúc Ánh defeated  his opponent Tây Sơn forces, he sent envoys to China to ask for formal recognition as King of Nam Việt (the new name of Annam as requested). Nam Việt represented the combination of Annam (currently North Việt Nam) and Việt Thường (old name of Champa or South Việt Nam). The Qing court rejected the name Nam Việt since Nam Việt was the name of a vast kingdom in 3rd century BC (that had been vanished) that included Guangdong and Guangxi of China. The envoys of Lord Nguyễn (now King Gia Long) were contained in Guangdong for months until Nguyễn Phúc Ánh acquired all the territories of Tây Sơn up to the border of China. To resolve the differences between two nations, the Qing court proposed the name of Việt Nam (reversal of the requested name). The Nguyễn court accepted the proposal and a new dynasty was established. Although history of Vietnam seldom mentioned these arguments, more details could be recovered from the archives of the Qing in  Taipei (Taiwan) and other private collections.